Tylenol is one of the most common painkillers, but it may reduce psychological pain, too.

A study conducted by a Canadian research team showed that acetaminophen, which is sold under the brand name Tylenol, could bring about a psychological well-being effect, according to British media.

“Pain exists in many forms, including the distress that people feel when exposed to thoughts of existential uncertainty and death,” said Daniel Randles, a professor at the University of British Columbia who led the study.

Some 130 college students were divided into two groups. One group took 1,000 milligrams of acetaminophen each and the other took a placebo.

Then, researchers asked the participants to write about death and were shown a surrealistic film by director David Lynch to evoke anxiety and fear.

The final step for the students was to assign fines to a variety of crimes such as riots and prostitution with $900 being the maximum level.

As a result, the acetaminophen group showed more generosity toward criminals than the placebo group.

"Our study suggests these anxieties may be processed as ‘pain’ by the brain -- but Tylenol seems to inhibit the signal telling the brain that something is wrong,” said Randles.

The study was published in the Association for Psychological Science journal.